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Beaufort, to Bellhavn, NC
We left Wrightsville pretty early the next
morning, about 7:00 AM. Ocean Bear was lead dog today. After checking
out both channels to Masonboro Inlet yesterday, we decided to take the Shinn
Creek as opposed to Banks Channel. It was another easy day at sea. No worrying
about shallow depths and markers in the wrong place and no “ancient shoals” that
no one knows are there. It was about a 7 ½ hour trip in total.
We followed Ocean Bear into the long Beaufort Inlet which starts several miles out to sea. We entered just south of Cape Lookout, appropriately named as this and areas north are treacherous on the outside. The Outerbanks extend directly north for the next 160 miles all the way to Virginia Beach, VA. There lies the notorious Cape Hatteras which can have some pretty bad seas and has a reputation for being known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. All of us, being of a more sane persuasion, along with millions of other boaters, opted for the protection of the ICW to avoid these waters. Many boaters leaving for Bermuda and other foreign ports like the Caribbean use Beaufort entrance as their starting or ending point also depending on which direction they are heading. We passed Shackleford Banks to our right and just as we pass its point, the recreational boating traffic becomes intense. There are small boats of all sizes, coming and going at crazy speeds. They are crossing in front of us going between Fort Macon on the left and Shackleford on the right. The wakes were disrupting and it was hard to concentrate on finding the right markers for the channel to the right of Radio Island which heads into the town of Beaufort. Again, markers have been moved and we both go on the wrong side of the entry before we realize what we did. Ocean Bear over shot the entrance but we decide to go in. They circle back around and follow us. The waters below us were as shallow as 6” as we were on the wrong side of the moved marker. It was a confusing place with all the madness of the speed boats and jet skiers, etc. going on. As we got in sight of the docks, we knew we were safe and over the worst of the confusion. We called the dock master to get our slip assignments and settled in for a few days stay in Beaufort.
Beaufort, NC (BOW FERT) NOT (BYOO FERT)!
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There are some great little shops and cafes to try out and investigate so we have no problem enjoying this little town. That night we heard live music as we sat on the back of our boats from an outdoor restaurant right nearby on the board walk. Boaters from all over come and crowd the boardwalk to hear the music into the late evening hours. The nights are warm but cool compared to the heat of the day and it makes for a nice time. It’s a quiet crowd, just gathering to talk and listen to music.
As we got settled in, each of us had some errands to do and went about our business. We got together for dinner that evening at a great little place called the Beaufort Grocery Store on one of the side streets. It still looks like a turn of the century general store and the food was delicious. It’s a fun town to walk around at night too and it doesn’t go to sleep too early. The nearby streets and neighborhoods are lovely and all within walking distance. There’s a really fascinating colonial graveyard right in the center of town that’s worth a visit. The locals seem to love their town just by the very fact that they lovingly they take care of their old homes and yards.
FOLLOWING THE PATH OF BLACKBEARD
Again in our travels we have crossed paths with Blackbeard the pirate. It seems his flagship; Queen Anne’s Revenge, sunk off the waters of Beaufort in 1718 as it has recently been discovered nearby in about 20 feet of water by a search firm (or what I’d call, treasure hunters). Rumor has it that Blackbeard hung one of his wives in the front yard of a waterfront house here in Beaufort. What a guy. Beaufort’s real pride and joy was another historical character called Captain Otway Burns. He was hired by the government to act as a pirate to fight against the British during the War of 1812. He created such grief for the British on both hemispheres that the British put out a hefty $50,000 reward for his capture. They never caught him but you can see his grave in the local cemetery. It’s hard to miss as the top of his grave is mounted an old canon and below the marker is enscripted, Snapdragon, the name of his boat.
FOURTH OF JULY ON SHACKLEFORD ISLAND
We decided to get the dinghy out and make a day
of it exploring Shackleford Island. It’s part of the outerbanks and was quite a
long rough trip on the dinghy but well worth the effort. Shackleford Banks are
part of the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Reserve which is named after the
author of Silent Spring. She did much of her research for the book
here. It’s reputed to be a most scenic area of marshes, flats, sand dunes and
beaches which are the home of wild horses, 160 species of birds and much more.
The legend has it that these horses are ancestors to horses that swam ashore
from wrecks of Spanish galleons that met their demise on the treacherous Outer
Banks. It is said these wonderful horses learned to survive in the Outer Banks
and have been living there for generations.
Double Click small photos to enlarge
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We became part of those mad small boats that gave us such havoc when we entered the channel on our approach to Beaufort. It was exciting and there was something about the trip that was wild. You just wanted to put the metal to the pedal and go as fast as you could racing others nearby. The wind was blowing in our faces and we were holding on the anything we could find to keep from flying out. Ziggy was perched on the bow of the dinghy like a hood ornament. It was fun, wild, and rough as we raced and bounced along. We felt young again for just a moment in time. There were many other boaters heading our way also. They were all doing the same and we waved at each other though strangers but in this endeavor partners in crime. As we made the turn to go into the protected calm waters and shelter behind Shackleford Banks, we couldn’t believe our eyes! There were hundreds of other boaters there, literally, hundreds. They were anchored in the shallow calm waters and camped on the beach picnicking, swimming, and visiting. We thought we were going to see this wilderness area alone and instead were joined by hundreds. It was like a huge tail gate party but in the water. We kept going further and further thinking that at some point we would reach an area by ourselves but the crowds just went on and on. It was amazing. Finally we came to the farthest reach, and though there still were people there, at least it wasn’t as crowded. We dropped anchor and joined the crowd.
There are no bathrooms or food stands out here. You can only reach this area by boat and you have to bring water and whatever you may need for the day. It was an amazing experience seeing all these people here. It must be a tradition to come here for the 4th. We cooled ourselves off like everyone else in the shallow waters and began to talk to others doing the same. We explored the shore and marshes and saw some horses peaking over the hill probably wondering at the site of all these intruders.
On our way back, we took the inside route away from the wild channel. It took us through the marshes and around to a shallow back entrance to Beaufort that can only be explored by dinghy. It dropped us into Taylor Creek. It was longer in distance but worth it in beauty. We stopped along the shore a few times when we thought we eyed an interesting shell on shore. Joann and I would get out of the dinghy and comb the beach for a few treasures and then get back in, travel more until we saw another gunk hole to explore. We found several great shells to take back with us.
FOURTH OF JULY PARADE
About mid day before we left for Shackleford
Banks, the street in town was blocked off for their yearly Fourth of July
Parade. It was cute as a bug and very small town. Parents were parading kids
in strollers with funny Uncle Sam hats and dogs were dressed up in red white and
blue. Farmers joined the parade driving down the street in tractors and other
farm mobile farm machinery. The local Black Baptist church drove by belting out
wonderful gospel music as they all swayed back and forth in the back of the
truck bed. Uncle Sam was there in full regalia and a grey haired master of
ceremonies rode by in a vintage red convertible waving and throwing candies to
the children on the curb. It was really fun and colorful. Many of the locals
had 4th of July parties on their front lawns to watch the parade and
their houses were decorated with American Flags. It was great.
Boats got into the act too. They were decorated with flags and banners, including ours. The local make shift pirate ship got into it too by cruising by and tried to capture the local ferry boat with a few blank canon shots from behind his galleon cardboard structure to make his sailboat look like a real pirate ship. The captain looked like a real pirate whether dressed in costume or not. Then, as if this wasn’t enough, up in the sky came the most amazing stunt flyer I have ever seen. He was flying a single prop fire engine red plane. He made your heart stop with his death defying stunts which went on for a hair raising long but exciting 30 minutes. It was an amazing day.
What a wonderful place, this Beaufort (bowfert) place is!
Unfortunately it was time to move on again. Our next trip would be a short one with a stop in Oriental, NC.
STRONG CURRENTS AT THE DOCK CAN CREATE PANDEMONIUM
Regretfully we left the charming town of Beaufort. As were spent our few days at the docks in Beaufort we noticed the strong currents going through the docks. The ebb and flow were at it’s strongest here and if the combination of the winds were right it created havoc on boaters trying to get in and out of the docks. We watched as one poor sailor that was in one of the inner slips tried to make his way out one early morning and got himself jammed diagonally coming out of his slip and finally gave up and went back into the slip to patiently wait several hours for slack tide. Another trawler that was in the second inside slip, who had only the day before, made wise cracks about all the stupid boaters that didn’t know how to dock their boats here, scraped our swim step leaving a permanent scrape on the bright work and a long mark on the side of his boat as he tried to maneuver out of the docks.
These experiences should have been fair warning for us but Larry wanted to leave early and not wait until after noon time to leave. So, we threw our lines on the boat and left the dock. We were fortunate as we were only one slip in from the channel. As we were heading out, we noticed that Ocean Bear was at a stand still in between the docks. We thought maybe they were giving assistance to the other sailor that had tried to get out earlier in the morning but couldn’t really tell. So, we hailed them on the radio and unfortunately they answered back that they were stuck cross wise against the docks and the strong current was holding them there and the bow thrusters weren’t strong enough to push her out far enough to go forward and get out.
We circled around and re-docked on the outer dock to see if we could help
somehow. It was one of those situations that we all get into one time or
another. People were gathering around and everyone had a different suggestion.
We thought that by tying a bow line and forcing the back out with the leverage
of the tied bow that they could spring the stern out long enough to then release
the bow line and turn themselves out. That didn’t work as the bow thrusters
didn’t seem to be working or strong enough to fight the current.
Finally one old salt that was in a boat across the way, came over and suggested taking a bow line and springing it back to a distance mid ship and loop it to the dock, then run the engine forward. He said that should force the stern of the boat out away from the dock, then Steve can pull the looped line quickly back to the boat and Joann who is at the helm can then swing the bow away from the dock and go forward. This worked like a charm, but the current was so strong that it was starting to push the boat again quickly back into the dock again. Someone yelled give it some gas, and Joann gave that baby a push it probably never had. She gunned Ocean Bear out of there with a cloud of black smoke and a wake like you wouldn’t believe. It tried to swing back in and hit the last dock as she moved forward but she missed it by a smidgen. I was so proud of her and thought this woman has some guts. I think everyone on the dock respected her. It took a lot of balls to do that and she did it with gusto!
The stress of docking and undocking can sometimes really ruin a great trip as we all know. It’s so difficult coming into a new port and new conditions each time and with a new unfamiliar boat it makes it even more difficult as we know very well from all of our experiences that have been explained in detail on this trip. I think the best advice is never laugh or criticize someone else when they are having difficulty because we all have those moments.
We shouldn’t have rushed and left when the currents were running. I think Joann and Steve wanted to leave at slack tide but Larry wanted to get going and they were being accommodating. Maybe this docking required a lot more power and bow thrusters. We found out later that Ocean Bear’s bow thrusters weren’t performing as they should either. I admire Joann for her cool composure and diligence and determination. It was truly admirable and enviable.
Double Click small photos to enlarge
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We jumped back on our boat, released the lines, and followed Ocean Bear as we headed north this time, under the bridge and heading past the Newport Marshes and through a channel cut through the land mass referred to the area “Down East” in North Carolina. It’s kind of a forgotten area as far as tourism. It’s just the real thing and as we passed through this area, we saw people swimming along side the waterway, and shrimp boats, and work yards and again mostly some beautiful landscape of lush marsh lands and trees as a back drop.
NOTHING EXOTIC ABOUT ORIENTAL
Soon, we leave the narrow cut called Adams Creek and enter the wide open expanse of Neuse River leaving the area known as "Down East" behind us. It’s an easy crossing following the markers up the direction of Ratton Bay. We see the markers at Windmill Point leading into Smith Creek where Oriental is located. Oriental Marina was full and we had hoped something would open up by the time we got there but no luck. Ocean Bear decided to find and anchorage outside the harbor somewhere in Ratton Bay. We decided we’d poke our nose in the small channel and see what we could find. It’s a small blinded channel and you have to dog leg it once you pass the breakwater. As we came in we immediately saw about four boats anchored before the bridge and immediately beyond the channel entrance. We poked around the anchorage and rubbed the mud bottom a couple times but backed off and went around and found a small opening and dropped anchor.
From our anchorage we were able to look over the man made breakwater and could see Ocean Bear anchoring outside. We settled in and sat to make sure we were hooked and in a good spot with holding. We looked again for Ocean Bear and couldn’t see them again. We didn’t know where they had gone. As we sat there we looked over at a long empty dock next to the bridge. It had power outlets for boats. We hailed them on the radio and asked about the dock and they said space was available. We decided we were hooked but called Ocean Bear on the radio to let them know there was some dock space at a marina that wasn’t listed in the cruising guides. They answered back that they were having a dickens of a time getting hooked because the bottom was hard everyplace they tried. They decided to come in and try to tie up at the dock we mentioned.
Soon we heard them on the radio talking to the dock master and making arrangements. We found out it was a new marina and not listed. We heard the dock master giving instructions over the radio on how to come to the dock safely as there were some fouled grounds nearby. Soon they were docked and comfortable and we were glad as they didn’t have such a good parting at Beaufort and we wanted them to be happy and enjoy their new boat. We know how difficult it was for us to get used to ours and we wanted them to not have some of the bad experiences we had.
We got in our dinghy as they settled in and headed to town to see what there was to see. That’s the great thing about boating as every port on this trip has been something new for us. It’s always so exciting to get to shore and see what’s there and meet new people. We passed the Oriental Yacht Club on our left, as we dinghied by, which looked like a white washed converted warehouse, and then passed a few beautiful shrimp boats all freshly painted. We saw the city dock and the Oriental Marina next to it. The Oriental Marina is where we had wanted to get a slip. We were surprised to see how rickety the docks were. They were those darn old fixed docks again. They are so much trouble to tie up to with our boat. The boats were so crowded in. We were so glad that things worked out so that we didn’t have to deal with docking there. We were lucky to have found a good anchorage close by and it was an easy jaunt in the dinghy to the town dock.
It was hotter than heck in Oriental and not a tree for visitors to provide a
little protection from the heat and sun anywhere. The Oriental Marina was
docked in front of the Oriental Marina Inn & Restaurant which boasted “18
waterfront rooms, a new Laundromat, pool, restaurant and lounge” and to us it
looked nothing more than an old motel. Surely there was more to this than our
eye could see and probably the boaters have a good time here. We tried to get
cool by sneaking through the sprinklers on their lawn. It was just so
unbelievably hot.
We spotted a little coffee and ice cream store nearby. It had a small front porch which was filled and overcrowded with boaters. It was so full that you couldn’t find a space I guess because it was the only shady spot around. We some ice cream cones, just to cool off, but they melted so fast we couldn’t eat them fast enough. It was a little irritating that the people, who had seats on the porch, though they weren’t eating or drinking, wouldn’t give up their shady seat for others who just purchased food. So we had to try and finish these melting ice cream cones on the street. It was a little irritating. Poor Ziggy was getting over heated.
The village of Oriental was small and quaint from the perspective of a boater
landing by dinghy. 
It
consisted of a small road, near the water, a small fish processing plant, a
couple pretty nice sporty goods stores where you could find a good stock of
kayaking and fishing equipment and other marine oriented supplies and one or two
little cafes or restaurants. All the businesses were operating out of
existing buildings, either small cottages or old warehouses that had been
remodeled to adapt to a café or store. We walked the small road but could
really not take the heat and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the
comfort of the AC on the boat.
I know there must be more to this place than what we saw but the heat just prevented us from seeing it. We stopped and said “hello” to Ocean Bear on the way back to Knotty Dog and made a date to meet for dinner at a local joint mentioned in the cruising guide.
WHERE’D THEY GET A NAME LIKE ORIENTAL ANYWAY?
Oriental is said to be “the Sailing Capital of North Carolina”. The cruising guides say that the sailors and boaters are “attracted by the sheltered creeks and its immediate access to some of the best sailing, cruising and gunk holing areas anywhere”. We didn’t see many sailboats or other signs to fit the boast but I’m sure there must be more. They were probably at Whittaker Creek just north of Oriental. We opted for our anchorage so we’d be within walking distance of the village.
The name, Oriental, it’s so exotic. I guess I didn’t know what to expect when I
got here as this place is NOT exotic at all. Unlike much of what we’ve passed
so far on this journey, there are no old colonial homes to see here or anything
that even remotely gives a glance back to their founding in the 1890’s. I read
that the wife of the original postmaster wasn’t excited about the idea of naming
it Smith Creek after the Creek that it sets on. It is told that while visiting
a friend in nearby Manteo on the Outer Banks, she came across a huge wooden sign
inside her friend’s house that read “ORIENTAL”. Her friend explained to her
that the sign washed ashore from the wreck of a Union steamship called the USS
Oriental. The postmaster’s wife returned home with the sign in hand and what
she thought was the great idea of renaming Smith Creek, Oriental! She also
presented her idea to the townspeople with the additional prospect of knowing
where they could get a very large name sign for free and that’s how Oriental
became named.
That night we met for dinner in a little funky place. It was a small simple house converted into a restaurant including the screened in back porch. It was fun and funky, the food was OK and the company made it a great evening.
We hit the bed early as we were leaving in the morning for our next stop,......... Belhaven, NC.
